Sneakers Of The NBA Finals

The Best Sneakers Of The NBA Finals Throughout History

The NBA Finals is the pinnacle of basketball competition. Thus far the 2015 Finals have lived up to the hype, despite key injuries. The on-court game has been bantered about everywhere. However, there is another game being played by sneaker companies that is equally as lucrative. Nike (Jordan Brand included) has a stranglehold on the basketball footwear market currently, but, as you’ll see from reading this package, it hasn’t always been that way. NBA championship squads have had an influence on what people wear on and off the court since Bill Russell ran in canvas Chuck Taylors. Take a walk down memory lane with some of the best sneakers in NBA Finals history.

Converse All-Star Chuck Taylors

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The greatest winner in NBA history, Bill Russell, wore black Chucks in 1957 to win his first of eleven championships with the Celtics. The Chuck Taylor — which was the first signature basketball shoe — has since transitioned from basketball shoe to one of the most popular casual models worldwide.

Air Force One Low

No, the great Rasheed Wallace is not the only player to lace up the Nike staple in a championship series. Moses Malone donned the low top red swoosh on white in a sweep over the Lakers in the 1983 Finals.

Converse Weapon

Before Nike locked down the basketball sneaker business, Converse had the cool factor thanks to this shoes alliance with Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Bird won the Finals MVP in 1986 with the black/green colorway and Magic followed suit in 1987 in the famed yellow/purple and white colorway.

New Balance P790 Worthy

Air Jordan 6 Black/Infared

The first sneaker his Airness wore in a championship series will go down as one of the greatest sneakers of all time — ask Kanye. The sneaker has been the subject of many retro releases, including the hugely popular 2014 Cigar and Champagne Retro 6 pack that was inspired by the iconic image of MJ’s post championship celebration.

Nike Air Force Max

Charles Barkley’s 1992-1993 move to Phoenix was immediately fruitful; he beat out his buddy Michael Jordan for the MVP and led the Suns to the NBA Finals. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to seal the deal, going down in six to a three-peating Bulls team.

LA Gear Lights

LA Gear

Given the current footwear landscape, it is hard to believe that LA Gear was once a hugely popular street shoe. In 1995, Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon wore this red and white pair on his way to the first of two NBA titles and Finals MVP trophies.

Nike Air Flight One

Rising superstar Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway in his only Finals appearance wore the Air Flight One in 1995. Ironically, Jordan wore the shoe for one game in the Eastern Conference Semis that same year, in order to avoid getting fined for wearing the Concord XI’s.

Reebok Shaq Attaq Insta Pump

In Shaq’s first Finals appearance he wore the high top Pump with adjustable ankle settings. This was a shoe designed perfectly for a post player of Shaq’s size and power. He’d go on win multiple Finals wearing a variety of off-brand kicks, however the Shaq Attaq remains one of the best sigs the Diesel ever put his name on.

Air Jordan XI Black/Red

Perhaps the most iconic Jordan shoe silhouette made its debut in a series L to the Magic, but MJ would rebound in the following year in the same shoe for one of the best regular seasons in NBA history on his way to his fourth title in 1996.

Nike Air More Uptempo

Not to be completely outdone by MJ, Bulls teammate Scottie Pippen rocked one of the most unique Nike basketball shoes in the 1996 Finals. The Air More Uptempo wasn’t Scottie’s signature shoe but his appearance in them in the Finals bolstered their popularity exponentially.

Nike Air Flight Turbulence

Sonics guard Gary Payton took on the Bulls in this mid-90’s Nike model. It didn’t bear his name as future GP shoes would, but the Turbulence was all Payton. The Oakland native would lose this series before going on to win his first title with the Heat a decade later.

Reebok Optix

Eastbay

Payton’s Seattle Teammate, Shawn Kemp, was one of the few non-Nike guys playing in the Finals that year. Kemp had worn the popular Kamikaze II model for most of the 1995-1996 season, before switching it up to the now-forgotten Optix. The Optix was a good-looking shoe that featured a cyclone-like design that fell right in line with Kemp’s game, yet it wasn’t his signature shoe. Unfortunately, the all-white pair he wore vs. the Bulls doesn’t really do the shoe justice and it quickly fell off.

Air Jordan XII Black/Red

This sneaker would go on to be dubbed the “Flu Game” because Jordan allegedly played a great game while suffering from the Influenza virus. Whether MJ was sick or hungover is up for debate but the legacy of this shoe is not.

Air Jordan 14-Black

Yes, another Jordan shoe. The man has six rings, what did you expect? Push off or nah? It doesn’t really matter, that shot that Jordan hit over Russell in the 1998 Finals will forever be immortalized in NBA Finals lore.

And1 Rise

And1 is known primarily for their streetball mixtapes, gear and shoes, but they’ve also had their hands in a few NBA players’ footwear choices. One of the most prominent being 2004 Finals MVP Chauncey B-B-B-Billups. The mid-top sneaker’s clean and aggressive look matched Mr. Big Shot’s game perfectly.

Nike Air Force One Hi PE

Rasheed Wallace was known for many things — good and bad — during his tenure in the NBA. On the former side was his affinity for the Air Force 1 Hi. During the 2005 Finals, Sheed wore a classic white and red color with blue bottoms.

Converse Wade 1

Converse’s first stab at a basketball signature shoe in quite some time was a resounding success. The Wade 1 sold well and the Marquette product powered the Heat to their first title in franchise history with the unique shoe on his feet. Unfortunately Converse could never recreate that success and Wade would leave to go to Jordan.

Nike Zoom Soldier I -- White/Gold

2007 marked the first of what would be many LeBron James Finals appearances. For his first Finals series, James wore two colorways of the Zoom Soldier 1. Although they were built like boots, the White/Gold Soldier was a hot looking shoe.

Air Jordan Icons PE

Nike Zoom Kobe IV PE “Finals”

Sole Collector

Kobe’s sneakers have never done MJ or Bron numbers but from an aesthetic perspective they’ve always been ahead of the game. This particular shoe — worn in the 2009 Finals — featured cues that detailed Kobe’s already illustrious career.

Nike Zoom Kobe V "Big Stage"

Kobe returned the following year to win the Finals again with a much cleaner white and gold shoe that would be the precursor to the minimalist low top shoe theme that has dominated Kobe signature designs to this day.

Nike Zoom KD IV

2012 was the first year that Kevin Durant’s signature shoe gained popularity. It was also the year of his lone NBA Finals appearance. The sharpshooting forward wore an all-white PE, which was accented by gold laces, logos and Velcro — reminiscent of the Larry O’Brien trophy.

Nike LeBron 9 PS Elite -- White/Black-Metallic Gold

2012 was the year that LeBron finally got over the hump and won an NBA title. It was also the season that his signature jumped the shark into the streetwear world. From this point on, LeBron show releases would be an event on and off the court.

Air Jordan 28 PE

Nike

Notice a pattern here with Ray Ray and his PE's? Ray Allen’s second ring came in Miami, courtesy of a clutch series vs. the Spurs in 2013. Allen wore a few different colorways of the 28, all player exclusives.

Nike LeBron X Elite PE -- Black/Metallic Gold

Under Armour Curry One PE

Stephen Curry has donned a yellow and royal blue PE so far in the NBA Finals. The flip of the popular Dub Nation shoe looks awesome against the Warriors home uniforms. Judging from the variety of shoes the GSW guard has worn during the playoffs, fans may also see him wear the special MVP Curry One, which hits stores on June 13th in limited quantities.

Nike LeBron 12 Elite "Cleveland"

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LeBron runs through so many different 12’s that its not even funny. The latest (until the next game) is the Laser Orange/Green Glow-Black bka “Cleveland.” Thankfully for fans, the shoe arrived in stores on June 13th for $200.